Since Then

The moon was hiding shyly behind the thick canopy of the Cypress tree in the garden, a few feet away from the garden shed where Iris was soundly sleeping. 

When Mariano left to bring Iris's fresh blood to Calixto, she sat down with Iris, reading her book aloud for Iris who seemed to shrivel like an old orange after her embarrassing outburst with Mariano. It was not really that bad but she was a child, having her first crush and it was normal to be confused and overwhelmed with the mixture of strange emotions creating havoc in her heart. Her heart which used to be taken for granted now was like a wild creature inside her body that would not give her a moment of rest, tandem with her brain seemed too unstable to be taken seriously.